In the upcoming board of education race, Orthwein will square off against Timothy Berrios, George L. Blair, Joseph Cistaro, Alison Cogan, Jonathan Hemenway, Dennis Kadian and Tracey Meunir for the full term board seats; while DeInitinis will face Michael Clark and Frank Neglia, former board vice president for the unexpired two-year seat.

Orthwein said the board had concerns initially about whether
Clark and Neglia could run as both men have family members employed by
the district. The board attorney later explained that state law does not
preclude individuals with relatives who are currently employed by the
school board from seeking seats; however, Orthwein said the attorney
indicated that if either one were to nab a seat, their relatives could
not be hired for as long as that individual remained on the board.

"Board of education members do not run the district," Orthwein said. "We're there to ensure that it's run well. We need to find the highest caliber team to make sure it's done well."

Orthwein said she wished the board had had a chance to pursue Joe Ricca, the superintendent of East Hanover public schools. Ricca, who would have sustained a $23,000 pay cut if chose to stay with the district, opted instead to leave East Hanover for a school district in Elmsford, N.Y.

Orthwein said it was "very hard" finding people with the experience at
managing a school district, a large budget and the curriculum while staying with the state cap. She said the district could have offered Ricca $20,000 more than East Hanover, but they "never had the chance" to do so.

"He's among the best and brightest," she said.

While Orthwein is focused on the vacant administrative spots, political newcomer Berrios said he believes reducing the rivalry between Parsippany High School and Parsippany Hills High School should be paramount.

Ever since a 2010 ranking by New Jersey Monthly placed Parsippany Hills significantly higher than the other school, there has been a lack of cohesion between the two high schools, according to Berrios.

Berrios said this lack of cohesion was also apparent in the board of education, who have not often "work(ed) as a team with the goal of the students in mind."

"You need to be able to work together some
time to reach a consensus," Berrios said.

Calls seeking comment were placed to Cistaro, Cogan, Clark and Neglia, but were not returned. Contact information for Blair, DeInitinis, Hemenway and Meunier was not available.